IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 MODEL 30-001 [Looking to upgrade? Advanced tech: Better security? Only $1,695]

IBM ^ | April 4, 1989 | IBM

[Kevmo]

Back then we had BBS.

[daniel1212]

Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft ... and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor. — Wernher von Braun Supercomputer Takes 40 Minutes To Model 1 Second of Brain Activity

Researchers in Germany and Japan used K, the fourth-most powerful supercomputer in the world, to simulate brain activity. With more than 700,000 processor cores and 1.4 million gigabytes of RAM, K simulated the interplay of 1.73 billion nerve cells and more than 10 trillion synapses, or junctions between brain cells. Though that may sound like a lot of brain cells and connections, it represents just 1 percent of the human brain's network. - https://www.livescience.com/42561-supercomputer-models-brain-activity.html

[Kevmo]

Appleworks was better than Lotus123

[daniel1212]

At $1695 in 1989, the Inflation Calculator, puts the equivalent price in todays deflated money at $3576. Dude, $3500 will buy a crapload of computing power today. I spent considerably less on the desktop I built last year with 16 cores, and 32GB of ram.

Yes, a home-built will save money. Prices have risen but in 2019 I built this for low-cost under $400 (OS not included). I since added 16GB more RAM and a 512GB NVME. Thank God I could.

[daniel1212]

I meant this: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3773784/posts

[Dr. Sivana]

Maybe still used in missile silos?

Nah. Those would use at least a Model 55 (386sx) or more likely a Model 80 (a bit of a missle silo itself, with numerous MCA slots). When the Model 30 came out, it was already old technology. There would be little reason to upgrade an existing XT, XT-286, 3270-PC or AT.

[Bikkuri]

"Appleworks was better than Lotus123"

I used Quatro Pro ;^)

[AFreeBird]

I spent around $3,200.00 for myfirst second computer. An 8 bit monster running at a blazingly fast 4.77 MHz. Two 360K DSDD 5.25” floppies. Amber composite monitor. In today’s dollars that’s $9,200.61

[itsahoot]

We bought and networked several of these at the office. Once we had all we needed I recall them being about $4500 a piece.

Coleco Adam 1983 Was my first venture with a computer and a printer. I seem to remember it was rather cheap. But in truth the $100.00 Times Sinclare was my first real computer. I did have a video game that ran tiny Palo Alto Basic with a keyboard that had three values to each key on the pad. No storage whatsoever tho they claimed you could back it up to any tape recorder, never had any success with that tho.

[Kevmo]

It is a mystery why some of these platforms did not thrive.

[minnesota_bound]

Here is a minor upgrade you can get.

The ULTIMATE $20,000 Desk PC.
https://youtu.be/DS3zCN4NsQY?t=59

[Kevmo]

4.77 MHz

Do you now why ethernet was invented at 3.33 MHz at PARC? Because that was the clock speed of the processor.

Going to 10 MHz was a piece of cake. Going to 10/100MHz over phone wires was a bit of work. Going to Gigaherz speed over phone wires meant using old, previously unused phone wires in the 8-wire system.

Going over air meant confronting the much higher attenuation of air versus conductors.

I am surprised it worked.

[zeugma]

That’s a bit less than I spent to build my box last year. Then again, the target box I build is designed to last 10 years. My previous build was 9yo. The only reason it really ‘needed’ to be replaced is because I use VMWare Workstation pretty extensively with my job, and the latest version wouldn’t run on my old box because the CPU was no longer supported. There really wasn’t anything wrong with it. It was plenty fast for my purposes. (sigh)

I think the end price tag was about $1200, and I can easily see it being plenty of computer a decade from now.

For most folks, that $400 box would do well for a desktop. My needs are a little bit more aggressive.

[daniel1212]

Overkill meter is in the red!

[daniel1212]

For most folks, that $400 box would do well for a desktop. My needs are a little bit more aggressive.

I push mine, with over 400 tabs open across 5 browsers and multiple documents programs, and so I can use up too much RAM and see lag unless I restart a broswer or two, but I go can weeks without needing to reboot. And AMD processors are harder ti find now (out of stock).

[zeugma]

but I go can weeks without needing to reboot.

LOL. The only thing I reboot for are kernel upgrades. I reboot about 3 times a year.

[daniel1212]

LOL. The only thing I reboot for are kernel upgrades. I reboot about 3 times a year.

Well I hope you get some sleep though! Time for me to do that. Let's see, "Disable hibernation" but "Allow brain to sleep...CPU 15%" but "wake on ring."

[martin_fierro]

I saw those for sale back then at a Meijer's in Michigan.

I wondered what it'd be like to ACTUALLY HAVE A PERSONAL COMPUTER, but the price tag of ~$600 scared me off.

3 years later I jumped in with a $1000 PC clone and never looked back.

[thirst4truth]

So you have had a computer as long as I have. We too got a loan from a bank to buy our first computer, it was a clone of the IBM a little cheaper and mail order from Cosmic Computers out of LA, we were in silicon valley at the time.

We began selling them pretty soon after that, got a call from the Concord, CA District Attorney to help them set up a network in their offices, about 3 months after we got our first computer, we declined didn't know anything about it. In that area of CA, everybody wanted a computer.

[zeugma]

Let's see, "Disable hibernation" but "Allow brain to sleep...CPU 15%" but "wake on ring."

LOL. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Sleep interrupts my viewing of cat videos.